Buckle or coupler



Jan. 8, 1946.

A. J. GORE BUCKLE 0R COUPLER Fil edme 14, 1944 Patent ed Jan. 8, 1946 UNITEDv STATES OFFICE-=3 1 a 2392,6595 BUc LEoRooUrL-ER' I p Albert J. Gore, Washington, 1); 0.: Application'JunelL 1944,-'Serial-No;-' 54-0333 sciaims... (0114-2013 H -'I"his-invention relates to-buckles and the like,"

and=a1though it is, of course; applicableto many u'ses'w'here' two members are adapted to be "connected; =it"will be described in' connection with belt buckles.

Qnfe 'of the 'obje'ct's'oi the present invention-is to provide a simple and practical device of 'tlie-= above 'genera1 character Which may be inexpensively manufactured-"andassembled.

Afurtlier object-is to provide a buckle or conbuckle' made of two complementary parts of substantially' the same general construction and 'to tiv'elyconnect'ed in desired adjusted position;

A-iurt-her objectis-to provide a buckle-ofthe abovegeneral character in which when the belt ends are-attached they will be more firmly gripped as the buckle parts are placed under tension.

Other objects will be in part'obvio'us from the annexed drawing and inparthereinafter pointed outin' connection withthe' "following analysis of this? invention. v

This invention accordingly consists in the feaherein; s

Ifoenable' others skilled in the artffully'to com prehend the underlying features of this 'inven tion and the.numerous-modifications in structure" and relationcontemplated thereby',"a'drawing de-;* picting. one of. various possible "modifications of" the invention has been annexed as part of this disclosure, and in such drawing like characters of reference denote corresponding parts throughout all of the views,'in which- Fig. 1 is an enlarged front elevational view of the complementary members of a buckle with the belt ends shown in dotted lines; the coils being slightly distorted to be more easily followed;

Fig. 2 is an elevational view of one member; while Fig. 3 is a similar view of the complementary members;

Fig. 4 shows the two parts separated and about to be joined;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, the buckle or connector as shown in Fig 1 comprises two substantially similar or complementary memnectoroi the above-general character which'may be easily manufactured by automatic machinery;- A'- further object is to provide an improved H v '15 which the ends ofa belt member may be respec-' only slight: modification in shape;

bers broad1y1designated as l0 and H respectively. Eachotthsemembersis provided with means whereby belt ends'IZ may be attached as shown in Fig-'55.? Each of" these members or parts' l0 and *ll- -is made-preferably from 'a continuous piece of resilient wire bent in coils to provide a coil 'of'slig'htlyjmo're than"two .fullturns. The coils-maybe roundjeliptical' orgsqua'refand in stead *ofywire' a resilient plastic-would serve" with. Each of the J extreme endsZISTand of the wire arekrespec-f tiv'ely'jwrappe'd.jaroundithe, complete turn; in; other words; .the-ends'l l3 and 14' embrace .both coils' adjacentvtheretoa Thus, .as the .coiliis made.

largerin diameter these. endslll3 .and .;l4 .move,

away from each other as shown by the rdotted; line position, Fig. 1, and obviously when tension isplacedupon the opposite side "of theqcoil or member-l0 as-for example, by means the coacta ingpull of the otheror opposite member l I, then"; these two members 13 and I4 are drawntowards' eachotheralong the coils and tend'to grip the 1' belt end l2 therebetween; and therebymorefirm' ly hold the :belt tend :a'gainstslippage.

' As shownuin Fig. 5 the "belt. end"l2 may'pa'ss between'itwoof the loops'or' coils near their respective ends; that is; the terminals '13 and I4, and around an intermediate loopyand by spreadingthemembers' B and I4 apart then the extreme end ll of the *belt end l'2 may bepulle'd up or released, as desired.

'Atthe opposite side'of each of thecomp-lementary members as shown in this modification there" is' an'upwardly extended portion or hook as illus tratedmore clearlyin Fig. 4,"these hook portions being designated by'the numeralslS and 20, Fig: 1, and in assembling these parts the member at the right of Fig. 4 is placed between the superimposed loops of the part at the left side whereby each of the hooks l8 and 20 coacts respectively with the coils 2| and 22 shown in Fig. 4. Thus, the bent-up hooks on both complementary members coact with the fiat coils of the other, and to separate these rings it is only necessary to give the complementary members a relative lateral movement with respect to the plane of these two members, as shown in Fig. 1. Such movement causes the respectively engaged rings or coils to ride up on the cams or inclined part of the hooks I8 and 20 and cause a complete separation of the two members. If desired, the two hooks may be on the same part and the coacting member being plain coils. The main idea is two rings and two hooks coacting therewith inthe manner described whereby relative lateral movement towards each other causes interlocking ofthe parts.

'The construction and operation are clear from the above and further explanation is unnecessary. The entire mechanism may be inexpensively manufactured by simple automatic machinery and the belt ends may be attached at the same time or later; in other words, the belt buckle may be sold by itself or with the belt. The buckle pro vides for ready andquick adjustment of the size or diameter ofgthe belt and the assurance that after the'parts are assembled the belt ends are belt end and to grip said belt. end therebetween,

held in secure position of adjustment and unlikely to slip for the greater the strain exerted upon the two hooks then more tightly are the belt'ends gripped laterally as well between the looped ends.

The belt buckle is of simple and practical construction and is well adapted to accomplish,

among others, all of the objects and advantages herein set forth. r I

4 While I have illustrated and described this invention in one of its variouspossible forms as being particularly applicable, the belt buckle obviously may be applied to other use where the ends of any two members, for example, are adapted to be corrected. r

Without further new. the aregomgwm sofully reveal the gist of this invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt it tor various applications without omitting certain features that, from the standpoint of. the prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of thegenerie or specific aspects of theinvem tion, and therefore such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalency of the following'claims.

Iclaimi' 1. A buckle deviceof the characterfiescribed comprising two separately coacti ng parts each made from a single piece of resilient'materialf forming slightly more than two complete substan tia lly concentric coils, the ends of the material being spaced apart and surrounding th coil to V coac't with the coils" in defining. a space to receive,

grip and retain'a'belt end,=one of said coils having fastening? means: thereon for engagement with coacting means on the other'endof a belt formed.

by the other part. I

V 2; A 'belt bucklebi the-V character described compr sing two complementary parts each made 5 from a. single piece of resilient wire'formin'g slightly-'morefthan two complete substantially concentric coils, theoverlapping ends of the wire being spaced apart and surrounding the coils to move therealong in either direction thereby to coact'with the, coils indefining a space to receive a rnetrically opposite the zone of said overlapping ends projecting out of the plane of the coil to coact with the other part when moved into operative engagement therewith, and a belt end coacting with said one part; and gripped between the said ends and held in non-slipping relation therewith by the tension exerted on said one part by the other partof the buckle coupled between the coils.

i n belt buckle of the character described comprising two complementary parts each made,

from-a single piece of resilient wire bent to form slightly more than two complete substantially concentric coils, the overlapping ends of the wire being Wrapped *aroundcoils andfree to move therealong, one of said coils on each part having a V -shaped hook portion: diametrically opposite said overlapping ends and projecting upwardly out of the plane of the coil to want with a coil of g the other part when moved into operative engagement therewith, and a belt, the ends of which coact with said parts respectively and are gripped Y between the wrapped around ends of said wire and heldfin non-slipping relation therewith by'the tension exerted on said parts by the pull of the other part of the buckle when coupled therewith.

5. A belt buckle of the character described comprising. two parts each made from a single piece of resilient wire forming slightlymore than two complete substantially concentric coils with overlappingends said ends being wrapped around the adjacent coilsbut free to move relatively therealong, one of said coils of each part having a V-shapedintegrally formed hook portion opposite said overlapping ends'saidhook projecting out of the plane of the coilfrom whichit is formed to coact with the fiat coil of the other complemen 'tary part when th parts are inoperativeengagement, and a belt end'coacting with each one of I said parts and gripped between the wrapped around ends of said wire and held in IIOIIPSliPPiIIE relation therewith'by the tension exerted on said part by the other part of the buckle whenin coupled operative tension'edpositionr V ALBERT J GORE. 

